Need help with face mod

[Zeoka 0]

I am creating a face mod to replace PMHA03. I am using a model I ripped from another game and the model shows up in the game. The textures however do not. As far as I can see it is a problem in KOTOR Blender because after exporting the .mdl I check with MDLedit to see that there is no UV-data for the texture. I've been trying around for three days now and I've hoped that I've had succeeded by now.

The hierarchy in Blender is like this: MDL_Root > aurorabase > all the meshes.
All meshes etc. are in quaternation mode.
 

I don't know what to do or to try anymore. Does anyone know what I could possibly be doing wrong?

[Zeoka 0]

What I've found out so far is that when I look in MDLedit at my meshes that there is no offset data for UV1 in the vertices. Instead it says 0 (Offset -1). In the hierarchy this would mean PMHA03.mdl > Geometry > (mesh) > Mesh > Vertices. The header of the MDX data in vertices here says that my size is 60 and that the offset data for UV1: 0 (Offset -1). I have compared this with other models and they all have 24, which I suspect to be the standard binary offset to start looking for UV data for a texture image. But I don't know if I'm right at all.

[DarthParametric 3,862]

The first step is to attach your model files.

Also note that player head models rely on the textures being specified in heads.2da in order to make use of Dark Side transitions, which overrides any texture defined in the model itself.

[Zeoka 0]

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by attaching your model files but I think this is what I'm trying to do but can't get to work. I am replacing the .mdl, .mdx and .tga with the new files and just rename them PHMA03. Which in the game gives me the right model, it's just transparent because the texture isn't loading correctly.

I was thinking of making the dark side textures later, when this first one works. I've seen the names for all the textures I'd need to make in the .2da, PMHA03A, PMHA03AD2, PMHA03AD1. 

I suspect that something is going wrong when I export from KotorBlender however. As it's a model that I've downloaded from another game to insert into TSL. I've had to make a lot of changes already to make it work like it does now so it feels like something is wrong in there. An observation I made was that when I open the .mdl in mdlEdit is that the bitmap is NULL everytime I make a export. This is something you can change easily by exporting it to a ASCII MDL and text edit all the bitmaps from bitmap NULL to bitmap PMHA03, which is the name of my .tga (PMHA03.tga). That was also when I found out that the MDX settings weren't as the other files in the game. (the whole "size is 60 and that the offset data for UV1: 0 (Offset -1)" thing)

I am exporting the MDL_Root > aurorabase > meshes, these meshes are 118 normal meshes and 106 shadow meshes ripped from a .dae. All the meshes are trimesh with quaternation rotation.

What I’ve tried:

- Ensured only one UV map per visible mesh; made it active.
- Applied all transforms; applied/removed modifiers (Mirror/Subsurf none left).
- Triangulated faces.
- Re‑exported with KotORBlender (Export for TSL on).
- Set bitmap names and verified PMHA03.tpc exists in Override.
- Tested minimal mesh with a flat white TGA/TPC — still shows black if UVs are missing.

Some more questions:

KotORBlender UV export: Are there known conditions where KotORBlender drops UVs (e.g., more than one UV map existed previously; UV layer name must be UVMap; too many meshes; vertex groups present; parenting)?

Hierarchy best practice for heads: Is MDL Root → Reference (aurorabase) → Trimesh pieces correct for TSL heads, or should it be MDL Root → PMHA03 (basic) → Trimesh with a different node naming?

Many meshes vs. single mesh: Do I need to join the 118 visible pieces into fewer/larger meshes for UVs to export reliably? Any engine/exporter limits I should respect?

Shadow meshes: Should I exclude/delete the 100+ shadowmesh objects from the export? Could they interfere with UV channels or flags?

Bitmap source of truth: Is the material name or the image node name written as bitmap? Any requirement to assign a material per submesh?

Workaround via ASCII: Would you recommend exporting ASCII, batch‑inserting bitmap PMHA03 (done) and verifying UV blocks there, then compiling with MDLOps/MDLEdit instead of relying on direct binary export? (if possible)

 

Thanks in advance for any pointers! If there’s a known KotORBlender quirk around UVs, I’m happy to follow a specific workflow (rename UV layer to UVMap, join meshes, export ASCII then compile, etc.).

 

[Sith Holocron 2,565]

I think he meant for you to attach the file to your post. So folks can figure out what may be the problem. 

[Zeoka 0]

Of course he meant that, haha. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Well, that means the cat is out of the bag as well. My mod is a Jar Jar Binks face as a playable character for the memelords or those who just like Gungans.

PMHA03.mdl PMHA03.mdx PMHA03.tga unit.char_jarjarbinks_cinematics_pre.dae

Gungan2.blend

Edited 11 hours ago by Zeoka

[SithNadd 24]

7 hours ago, Zeoka said:

Of course he meant that, haha. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Well, that means the cat is out of the bag as well. My mod is a Jar Jar Binks face as a playable character for the memelords or those who just like Gungans.

PMHA03.mdl 182.53 kB · 0 downloads PMHA03.mdx 52.05 kB · 0 downloads PMHA03.tga 204.37 kB · 0 downloads unit.char_jarjarbinks_cinematics_pre.dae 1.23 MB · 0 downloads

Gungan2.blend 1.75 MB · 0 downloads

I just decompiled your game model and imported it into 3DS Max and there are a few issues. 

• None of the meshes actually have a texture assigned to them.
• None of the meshes have any sort of UVW mapping applied, so even if a texture were applied, it wouldn't look as it should. 
• Probably the biggest issue - all of the meshes are trimeshes. There are no bones in the model, just the meshes which make up Jar Jar's head. 

For the head to work properly in the game, you'd need to weight the head objects to a set of bones. Either a custom rig, or try and use one from the game, but none of them are particularly Gungan shaped, so you'd probably either have to make heavy modifications, or compromises.

[Zeoka 0]

So it's probably better to start from scratch again, from the .dae I ripped. There were bones in that one. I'll try to see if I can make that work. Do you prefer 3DS Max before Blender? Maybe I'll try that. Thanks for checking what's going wrong, I don't understand entirely why it shows up in Blender and doesn't after exporting it but I deleted all the bones because I thought that was ruining the export.

[SithNadd 24]

Personally I prefer 3DS Max, but it’s just that. A preference. If you know Blender better than Max, use Blender.

Both will work for this.